What a Tiny Atlantic Island Taught Us About Living Alongside Sharks—and Saving Them

Sharks at the coast of Ascension Island.Credit: Kate Downes

Imagine living on a remote island where every fishing trip comes with the anxiety of a shark encounter. For the 800 residents of Ascension Island—a British territory floating in the South Atlantic—this became their reality after two shark attacks in 2017 shook their small community.

But here's where it gets interesting: researchers saw an opportunity. Instead of writing off these incidents as simple human-versus-nature conflicts, a team from the University of Exeter and the Zoological Society of London dug deeper into what was really happening beneath the surface.

They interviewed 34 islanders and uncovered something crucial for global shark conservation. The conflict wasn't just about attacks. It was a tangled web of frustration, fear, and changing ocean dynamics. Recreational fishers were constantly losing their catch to silky and Galapagos sharks that seemed unusually aggressive. People were swimming less, fishing differently, and living with a persistent undercurrent of anxiety.

What stood out? Nobody could agree on what "normal" shark behavior even looked like anymore. Some blamed "chumming"—the practice of tossing fish scraps into the water to attract catches—for changing shark patterns. Others simply didn't know why sharks seemed more numerous and bolder. This uncertainty fed fear more effectively than any dorsal fin ever could.

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One attack left someone with life-threatening injuries. That kind of trauma ripples through a small community, changing not just individual behavior but collective attitudes toward marine life. A staggering 90% of residents reported using the ocean less frequently.

Here's the conservation lesson: when people feel threatened or confused, even the best-intentioned marine protections can backfire. Ascension became a Marine Protected Area in 2019, but without addressing residents' concerns and providing clear, evidence-based information about shark behavior, conservation efforts risk losing community support.

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The solution isn't choosing between people and sharks. It's about transparency, participation, and understanding. By tracking shark movements and studying environmental changes around the island, researchers are demystifying these misunderstood predators. Because ultimately, saving sharks globally means helping communities coexist with them locally—and that starts with listening.